The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne arrived here yesterday to meet with high-level government officials and sign a new strategy for technical co-operation in health.A release yesterday from PAHO/WHO said that her visit will include working meetings and courtesy visits with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, First Lady Sandra Granger and Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence and her staff. Dr. Etienne will be accompanied during her visit by PAHO Chief of Staff Dr. Merle Lewis and PAHO/WHO Representative in Guyana Dr. William Adu-Krow.The release said that a key subject for discussion will be the reconstitution and relaunch of Guyana’s National Non-communicable Diseases Commission, which PAHO/WHO considers pivotal since non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 70% of deaths in Guyana. Other matters that are expected to be discussed include universal health coverage and health financing, tobacco control legislation and the health of women, adolescents, and older adults.During her visit, Dr. Etienne, from Dominica, is also scheduled to meet with Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, and Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community Secretariat, Dr. Douglas Slater, among others.The country co-operation strategy (CCSs) that is expected to be signed is a mutually agreed instrument which shapes PAHO’s work in the country.Guyana is one of eight “key countries” where PAHO places greater emphasis on its technical cooperation to ensure that equity gaps are closed, the release added.
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